Met job 'possible' criticises Mayor

The head of West Yorkshire Police has ruled himself out of the running for the top job at Scotland Yard.

Instead, Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison said he would honour his five-year commitment to his force.

He took a swipe at London Mayor Boris Johnson, whom he accused of ousting Sir Ian Blair for "short-term political expediency".

Sir Norman said the determination of all three main parties to bring senior officers under greater political control was a "threat" to independent policing.

He said: "I am not prepared to set aside my professional judgment and integrity, forged over 36 years, in order to meet short-term political expediency.

"The dislodging of Ian Blair is a demonstration of political will. Along this road lies danger. I am therefore staying put."

Sir Norman said his role "for the time being at least" allows him to concentrate on policing without political interference.

He added: "It is not just the actions of the Mayor of London in his new role as chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority.

"As Sir Ian made clear, if, as chief, you lose the confidence of your Police Authority then you are a lame duck anyway. The real threat lies in the ambition which seems to be shared by all three major political parties at the moment.

"The determination to make the police service more accountable to elected representatives. What that means is bringing the police service under greater political control."